Introduction: This two-page short story illustrates
the author's use of a number of literary elements, including symbolism,
techniques of characterization, irony, dialogue, description, and point-of-view,
and wraps them all in an ending that takes its readers by surprise.

The teacher can shape her lesson to emphasize any of
these elements, or use the story as a reference point in discussions of other
works of literature. For example, if she teaches a lesson on Poe, or “The
Monkey’s Paw,” or “The Gift of the Magi” later in the year, she can remind
the students of Kantor’s use of the same literary elements in his story. This
lesson plan focuses on theme, but necessarily touches on these other elements
as well.

Instructional Objectives:

Academic:

1.Students will
learn to read closely (close Reading)
for clues to character and plot.

2.Students will
learn to interpret character based on specific evidence form the text.

3.Students will
learn that character creates plot.

4.Students will
learn to extract a theme from the elements of character and plot.

Performance: Students Will Be Able To

Find evidence in a text to support their Opinions
about character and plot.

Behavioral: Students will develop the feeling that
focusing on abilities rather than disabilities leads to success.

Motivation:

Can you imagine what it must be like to be blind? If
you were blind, what would you miss seeing most? Would you be able to work?
What kinds of jobs would be impossible for you to do? Could you be a doctor?
A teacher? A sanitation man? A computer programmer? An auto mechanic? Could
you be a musician? (Are there blind singers and blind piano players and
guitarists?) Could you play football or baseball? Could you play golf, or
chess? Could you be a guidance counselor or a psychologist? A stock broker?
How would you live if you couldn’t find work to do?

Aim: Why was Parsons successful in life, while the
blind beggar was not?

Procedure:

Hand out copies of the story to the class. Read the
story with the class. Stop frequently to assess student understanding through
your questions.

1. paragraph2: Describe the beggar. What is he
wearing?

2. Paragraphs3 - 4: Describe Parsons.

Based on these descriptions, which man has been more
successful in life? What kind of personality (character) Do you think Mr.
Parsons has? What kind of personality do you think the beggar has?

1.Paragraph 5 – 8: Why does the beggar speak
to Mr. Parsons? (What is he selling?) Do you think the cigarette lighter is
worth $1.00?

2.Paragraph 10: What is the beggar really asking money for? (What is
he really "selling"?) What does he mean when he says, "And,
mister, you wouldn't mind helping a poor guy out?"

5.Paragraph 13 –
14: What was Westbury?

6.Paragraph 17:
Based on the beggar’s description, what happened at Westbury?

7.Paragraph 16 –
20: Why does the beggar tell Mr. Parsons about the Westbury explosion? What
does “He swallowed – a practiced sob-” tell us about the beggar’s motives?
What do the words “Tough luck, fellow. Awfully tough. Now, I want to –” mean?

8.Paragraph 21 –
26: How does Mr. Parsons know what happened in C shop? Who is Markwardt? How does
Parson know the beggar’s name?

9.Paragraph 27:
Markwardt knows Parsons’ name. How does he know? Which man is telling the
truth about what happened in C shop? How do you know?

10.Paragraph 28: Why does Markwardt scream at Parsons
on the street?

11.Paragraph 31: What’s the surprise ending?

Medical Summary: Although the ending is a surprise,
there are clues to it throughout the story. Look back at the story (examine
the text) from the beginning. What are some clues that Mr. Parsons is blind?
(noted the clack-clack approach of the sightless
man; walking stick; struggling beneath handicaps: two half-dollars from his
vest –are there others?)

Procedure: Look at the last words Parsons speaks.
What is Parsons’ attitude toward Markwardt? I.
e. does he have any sympathy for him, and for what he has become? Why not?
What is Parsons’ attitude toward blindness as a handicap? (“don’t make such a fuss about it?)

Summary:

Fourteen years ago Parsons and Markwardt were in the
same position in life: both were skilled laborers in a chemical factory, and
both were blinded in the explosions.

How are they different now?

Why has Parsons been so much more successful since
the explosion than Markwardt has?

How has each man’s character determined (or created)
the path he took in life (i.e. the plot of his life’s story)?

What do you think McKinley Kantor’s theme is in this
story (his message for you)?

Interdisciplinary Connections:

Social Studies: While this lesson does not address
any of the major issues in the social studies curriculums directly, it can be
used as a touchstone for discussions of labor conditions, the American work
ethic, the responsibility of the rich to the poor, and other socio-economic
issues in our country’s history.

New YorkState Standards Addressed:

ELA 2: Language for literary response and expression

Key Idea 1: Listening and reading for literary
response involves comprehending, interpreting, and critiquing imaginative
texts in every medium, drawing on personal experiences and knowledge to understand
the text, and recognizing the social, historical and cultural features of the
text.

Key Idea 2: Speaking and writing for critical analysis
and evaluation requires presenting opinions and judgments on experiences,
ideas, information, and issues clearly, logically, and persuasively with
reference to specific criteria on which the opinion or judgment is based.

The interpretations of the events
of “A Man Who Had No Eyes” reinforces all of the skills in these
standards; indeed, the instructional objectives place these skills among the
goals of the lesson. Class discussion generated by the teacher’s Socratic
questions asks students to respond to literature through speaking, and the
teacher can develop an number of writing exercises in many genres: Each of
the summary questions can evolve into an expository paragraph or composition,
while the circumstances of the story – dealing with the disability, a
work-place catastrophe, successes and failures, and so forth – can generate
imaginative essays and short stores of all kinds.

Literacy Skills Demonstrated:

The literacy skills this lesson addresses are
enumerated in the section on New York State Standards. They are addressed in
the actual reading of the story and, later, through the interpretational questions
the teacher asks.

Numeracy Skills Addressed:

Numeracy skills are not directly addressed in this
lesson.

Supplementary Discovery Activities:

“A Man Who Had No Eyes.” Like all good literary
texts, provides students with an ore-bed that can be mined for meaning.
Searching for clues that Parsons is blind through a close reading of the text
is a discovery activity in itself: exploring the characterization techniques McKinley
Kantor uses is another. All of these activities are enhanced through the teacher’s
heuristic questioning. As a supplement to this lesson and a reinforcement of
the skills it teaches, the teacher should assign other short stories that
require the same skills for interpretation.

Regents Practice Question:

The ELS standards this lesson addresses are required
for questions III and IV of the New York State Regents. Therefore any
assignment that asks students to relate the themes of“A Man Who Had No Eyes” to the
themes of another literacy work is an excellent practice exercise for the
ELA.

The date, materials, and class to which the lesson
was taught locate the lesson in the year’s curriculum.

The purpose of an introduction like this one is to
give the teacher a clear idea of what it is she wants to accomplish using the
materials of her lesson.

Like a thesis statement, it keeps the lesson focused
and, consequently, effective.

All of the instructional objectives grow out of the
materials of the lesson, in this case, the short story.

Thus the materials shape the lesson and the lesson
plan.

There are many ways to motivate a story about
blindness, or about any other ability or disability. Infocusing on career possibilities for the blind, this
motivation foreshadows one of the key themes of the story.

Try to elicit this aim after you place the
comparison between the beggar and Parsons on the board at paragraphs 2 - 4.

Either the teacher will read aloud while the
students follow, or the teacher can choose students to read different
sections of the story.

Juxtapose these descriptions on the board now.

These questions address academic objectives 1 and 2.

This is the first unexpected shift in the story, and
some students may need help with it. It’s a point in your lesson at which you
should anticipate student difficulty. Students may have trouble visualizing
the chemical factory explosion, understanding why the beggar is talking about
the event, understanding that the event took place 14 years ago. Make sure
everyone is on track, or the end of the story will be ineffective.

This is the second point at which students may have
difficulty.

This question addresses academic objective 1.

Add blind to your board description of
Parsons now.

This summary addresses academic objective 1.

This is a restatement of the aim. Originally,
students might have felt the answer is, because the beggar is blind and
Parsons is not. But after considering Parsons’ blindness, we understand that
the answer to this question is more complex.

This question addresses academic objective 3.

This question addresses academic objective 4 and the
behavioral objective.

Works of literature, no matter how elementary, often
reflect the culture form which they grow. “A man Who Had No Eyes: cannot
anchor a social studies lesson as, for example, The Red Badge of Courage can,
but, used imaginatively, the short story can be a reference point for a
number of issues in the social sciences. These kinds of connections should be
a part of every lesson; certainly they reinforce and even enhance student
understanding of specified materials as well as broaden student perspective –
one of the primary goals of Discovery learning. Beyond these effects on the
student, the search for connections broadens the teacher’s perspective as
well, and improves her teaching from the point of view of the large scale of
the whole year.

The state standard should always be a touchstone for
the teacher, helping her to keep the lesson focused on goals whose
achievement leads to learning and a cumulative understanding. The standards
should be consulted at every point of the lesson.

Every lesson addresses the most basic skills of
literacy: this section of the plan points out where, specifically, the skills
are addressed. It serves, again, as a “pointer” for the teacher, allowing her
to assess the strengths and weaknesses of her lesson in this area.

Once a lesson has given students new skills or
perceptions, the students should be asked to apply those skills and
perceptions to new materials. In this lesson plan the new materials would be
short stories that are in some ways similar to “A Man Who Had No Eyes.”

Interdisciplinary
Connections:

Social Studies: While this lesson does not address any of
the major issues in

the social studies
curriculums directly, it can be used as a touchstone for discussions of labor
conditions, the American work ethic, the responsibility of the rich to the poor,
and other socio-economic issues in our country's history.

New YorkState Standards Addressed:

ELA 2: Language for literary
response and expression

Key Idea 1: Listening and
reading for literary response involves comprehending, interpreting, and
critiquing imaginative texts in every medium, drawing on personal experiences
and knowledge to understand the text, and recognizing the social, historical
and cultural features of the text.

Key Idea 2: Speaking and
writing for literary response involves presenting interpretations, analyses,
and reactions to the content and language of a text. Speaking and writing for
literary expression involves producing imaginative texts that use language and
text structures that are inventive and often multilayered.

ELA 3: Language for critical
analysis and evaluation

Key Idea 1: Listening and
reading to analyze and evaluate experiences, ideas, information, and issues
requires using evaluative criteria from a variety of perspectives and
recognizing the difference in evaluations based on different sets of criteria.

Key Idea 2: Speaking and
writing for critical analysis and evaluation requires presenting opinions and
judgments on experiences, ideas, information, and issues clearly, logically,
and persuasively with reference to specific criteria on which the opinion or
judgment is based.

The interpretation of the
events of "A Man Who Had No Eyes" reinforces all of the skills in
these standards; indeed, the instructional objectives place these skills among
the goals of the lesson. Class discussion generated by the teacher's Socratic
questions asks students to respond to literature through speaking, and the
teacher can develop a number of writing exercises in many genres: Each of the
summary questions can evolve into an expository paragraph or composition, while
the circumstances of the story - dealing with a disability, a work-place
catastrophe, successes and failures, and so forth - can generate imaginative
essays and short stories of all kinds.

Literacy Skills Demonstrated:

The literacy skills this
lesson addresses are enumerated in the section of New York State Standards.

Numeracy Skills Addressed:

Numeracy
skills are not directly addressed in this lesson.

Supplementary Discovery
Activities:

"A Man Who Had No
Eyes," like all good literary texts, provides students with an ore-bed
that can be mined for meaning. Searching for clues that Parsons is blind
through a close reading of the text is a discovery activity in itself;
exploring the characterization techniques McKinley Kantor uses is another. All
or these activitii~5 are enhanced through the teacher's heuris7ic questioning.
As Q supplement to this lesson and a reinforcement of the skills it teaches,
the teacher should assign other short stories that require the same skills for
interpretation.

Regents Practice Questions:

The ELA standards this lesson
addresses are required for questions III and IV of the New York State Regents.
Therefore any assignment that asks students 10 relate the themes of "A Man
Who Had No Eyes" to the themes of another literary work is an excellent
practice exercise for the ELA.

A Man Who Had
No Eye

By McKinley
Kalltor

A
beggar was coming downtheavenue
just as Mr. Parsons emerged from his hotel.

He
was a blind beggar, carrying a battered cane and thumping his way before him,
He was a shaggy, thick-necked fellow: his coat was greasy about the labels and
pockets. He wore a black pouch slung over his shoulder. Apparently he had
something to sell,

The
air was richwith Spring, Sun was warm and yellowed on the pavement. Mr. Parsons
standing there in front of his hotel and noting the clack-clack approach of the
sightless man felt a sudden and foolish sort of pity tor all blind creatures,

And,
thought Mr. Parsons, he was very glad to be alive. A few years ago he had been
little more than a skilled laborer: now he was successful, respected, admired.
And, he had done it alone, unaided, struggling beneath handicaps…. And he was
still young. The blue air of spring, fresh from its memories of windy pools and
lush shrubbery, could thrill him eagerness,

He
took a step forward just as the tap-tapping blind man passed him by quickly the
shabby fellow turned.

“Listen,
mister, just a minute of your time."

Mr. Parsons said, "It's
late, I have an appointment Do you want me to give you something?"

"I ain'tno beggar, mister. You bet I ain't.
I got a handy little article here" -- he fumbled until he could press a
small object into Mr. Parsons' hand -- "that I sell. One buck, Best cigarette
lighter made,"

Mr.
Parsons stood there, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed, He was a handsome
figure, with his immaculate gray suit and gray hat and walking stick. Of Course
the man with the cigarette lighters could not see him… "But I don't
smoke," he said "Listen, I bet you know plenty people who smoke, Nice
little present," said the man, "And, mister. you
wouldn't mind help a poor guy out?" He clung to Mr. Parsons' sleeve.

Mr. Parson's sighed and felt
in his vest pocket. He brought out two half dollars and pressed them into the
man's hand, "Certainly. I'll help you out. As you say, I can give it to someone.
Maybe the elevator boy would --" He hesitated, not wishing to be rude and
nasty, even with a blind peddler, "Have you lost your sight entirely?”

The shabby man pocketed the
two half dollars, "Fourteen years, mister," Then he added with an
insane sort of pride: "Westbury, sir. I was one of them."

"Westbury,"
repeated Mr. Parsons, "Ah, yes, the chemical explosion…. The papers
haven't mentioned it for years. But at the time it was supposed to be one of
the greatest disasters in ---”

''They've
all forgot about it' the fellow shifted his feet wearily. " I tell you,
mister, a man who was in it don't forget about it last thing I ever saw was C
shop going up in one grand blaze, and that awful gas pouring in at all the
busted windows."

Mr.
Parsons coughed. But the bind peddler was caught up in his own dramatic story.
Also, he was thinking that there might be more half dollars in Mr. Parsons'
pocket.

"Just
think about it, mister. There was a hundred and eight people killed, about two
hundred injured, and over fifty of them lost their eyes. Blind as bats --"
He groped forward until his dirty hand rested against Me Parsons coat. "I
tell you, sir, there wasn't nothing worse than that in the war, If I had lost my eyes in the war, okay. I would have been
well taken care of. But I was just a workman, working for what was in it. And I
got it. You're so right 1 got it, while the rich men were getting richer. They
was insured, don't worry about that. They --"

"Insured,"
repeated his listener. "Yes. That's what I sell--"

"You
want to know how I lost my eyes?" cried the man. "Well, here it
is!" His words fell with the bitter and Well-rehearsed drama of a story
often told, and told for money. "I was there in C shop, last of all the
folks rushing out. Out in the air there was a chance, even with the buildings
exploding right and left. A lot of guys made it safe out the door and got away.
And just when I was about there, crawling along between those big vats, a guy
behind me grabs my leg. He says, 'let me past, you --!" Maybe he was nuts.
I dunno. I try to forgive him in my heart, mister.
But he was bigger than me. He hauls me back and climbs right over me! Tramples
me into the dirt! And he gets out, and I lie there with all that poison gas pouring
down on all sides of me, and flame and stuff. ..” He swallowed _ - a practiced
sob -- and stood waiting He could imagine the next words:

The
blind peddler shivered crazily. "Not quite? What you mean, you -- ?"

"The story is
true," Mr. Parsons said, "except that it was the other way
around."“Other way
around?' He croaked angrily. "Say, mister---
"

"I was in C shop,"
said Mr. Parsons. "It was the other way around. You were the fellow who
hauled back on me and climbed over me. You were bigger than I was, Markwardt.
"

The blind man stood for a long time, swallowing hoarsely.
He gulped: "Parsons. By heaven! By
heaven! I though you --" And then he screamed fiendishly: "Yes. Maybe so.Maybe so. But I'm blind!
I'm blind, and you've been standing here letting me spout to you, and laughing
at me every minute! I'm blind!"

People
in the street turned to stare at hint.

"You got away, but I'm
blind! Do you hear? I'm---"

"Well" said Mr.
Parsons, "don't make such a fuss about it, Markwardt. ... So am I"